'Preamble Not Changeable': VP Dhankhar Says Words Added During Emergency A 'Festering Wound'

Last Updated:June 29, 2025, 23:29 IST

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar referred to the Preamble as the "seed" from which a Constitution develops

Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. (File photo/PTI)

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said the words inserted in the Preamble of the Constitution through an amendment during the Emergency era were a “festering wound", backing the call by a top RSS leader for a review of the added terms ‘secular’ and ‘socialist’.

In the backdrop of the political controversy triggered by RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale’s call for a national discussion on retaining the words “secular" and “socialist" in the Preamble, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar asserted that the Preamble is “sacrosanct" and immutable, stressing that it cannot be changed.

Dhankhar said the words inserted in the Preamble in 1976 during the period of Emergency, were a “nasoor" (festering wound) and could cause upheaval. The changes signalled a betrayal of the “wisdom" of the framers of the Constitution, he added.

He further said the added words were a “sacrilege to the spirit of Sanatan."

“It is nothing but belittling the civilizational wealth and knowledge of this country for thousands of years," the vice president said at a book launch event in Delhi.

Vice President Dhankhar referred to the Preamble as the “seed" from which a Constitution develops. He also noted that, unlike India, no other country has altered the text of its Constitution’s Preamble.

“The Preamble of a Constitution is not changeable. But this Preamble was changed by the 42nd Constitution (Amendment) Act of 1976," he said, noting that the words “socialist", “secular", and “integrity" were added.

‘Travesty Of Justice’

Dhankhar said it was a travesty of justice that something that cannot be changed was altered “casually, farcically, and with no sense of propriety" and that too during the Emergency when several opposition leaders were in jail.

“And in the process, if you deeply reflect, we are giving wings to existential challenges. These words have been added as nasoor (festering wound). These words will create upheaval," Dhankhar warned.

“We must reflect," he said, adding that Dr BR Ambedkar did painstaking work on the Constitution, and he must have surely focused on it.

Political Row

The Congress and other opposition parties have strongly criticised the statement made on Thursday by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) second senior-most leader, calling it “political opportunism" and a “deliberate assault" on the soul of the Constitution.

The BJP hit back at the Congress by referencing comments made by then-prime minister Indira Gandhi, in which she questioned the usefulness of the Indian Constitution and expressed her intent to change it.

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said the Congress should not divert from the Emergency-era excesses on people and tender an apology.

As the country observed the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, it is imperative to discuss the sufferings the then government inflicted on people so that it is never repeated, he told reporters.

He cited media reports of that period, which quoted Indira Gandhi from her press conference and address to convey her critical take on the Constitution.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta also questioned the inclusion of the words ‘socialist’ and ‘secular’ in the Preamble, saying such changes should be made through national consensus, not under the “cover of authoritarianism."

Former Union Cabinet Minister Satyanarayan Jatiya said the Preamble reflects the core values of the Constitution, and its sanctity must be preserved.

“No single leader can alter its structure based on personal ambition," he said, accusing the then government of acting in a manner similar to the colonial regime.

(With agency inputs)

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